Piping attachment for sewing-machines.



H. B. WOEHRLE.

PIPING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 3. 1913.

115mm, Patented 001. 19, 1915.

IIIIVEIVTOR A TTOR/VEY risaeoe.

HENRIETTE B. WOEHRLE, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PIPING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 3, 1913. Serial No. 804,332.

To all whom it may concern.

7 Be it 'known that T, HENRIETTE vB. WOEHRLE, a citizen of .the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piping .Attachments for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drav'- mgs.

This invention relates to piping attach ments for sewing machines, and is designed to provide an effective attachment of this character simple in construction and of low manufacturing cost, the attachment being adjustable to form piping of various widths. The attachment is also adapted to fold narrow strips of fabric and to guide the same to the stitch-forming mechanism of a sewing machine in the production of imitation tucks, the seam by which one folded strip is secured to the body fabric being covered by the folded edge of a succeeding strip.

The attachment is formed of three pieces of sheet metal suitably shaped by dies, and it comprises a supporting foot, adapted to be secured to the presser-bar of a sewing machine, and two members connected to an upwardly inclined toe of said foot, one member being an adjustable piping-guide, and the second member being a fixed guide for a fabric ply which receives the piping. The

piping-guide is formed of a single sheet metal strip bent upon itself to form a folding wall, and then inturned to form a stop or guide-wall for one edge of the piping, the other edge of the piping being guided by lugs integral with the side edges of the metal strip and bent upwardly adjacent said guide-wall. The base of the piping-guide merges into an overhanging spring-arm provided with a longitudinal slot to receive a fastening screw by which the arm is ad justably connected to the upwardly inclined toe of the supporting foot. The guide-member for the lower fabric ply which receives the piping comprises a flat plate provided with a transverse shoulder which merges into the base of a bent supporting anm having near its end an aperture to receive the aforesaid fastening screw which secures the arm to the toe of the supporting foot, said aperture being intermediate two lugs depending from a lateral projection of the arm and in contact with the edge of said toe, said lugs embracing the side edges of the overhanging spring-arm of the pipingguide and serving to prevent lateral movement thereof. The width of the piping is regulated by adjusting the piping-guide rellPatented Oct. T9, T915.

atively to a needle aperture formed in the supporting foot.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view, and Fig. 2 is a front elevation, of the attachment, the latter view being partly in section. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the supporting foot, from the bottom thereof. Fig. 4: is a perspective view partly in section, of the piping-guide. Fig. 5 is a perspective bottom view of the guide-member for a lower fabric ply, showing in dotted lines, parts of the members connected therewith. Fig. 6 is a view of a fabric ply having secured to its upper face a seriesof folded strips in imitation of tucking, produced by the present attachment. Fig. 7

is a View of piping produced by the present attachment.

The attachment comprises a supporting foot 1, its shank 2 being provided with a lateralbent and slotted arm 3 adapted to embrace the presser-bar of a sewing machine and to receive the shank of the usual fastening screw by which the foot is connected to said presser-bar. The foot 1 is provided with a forwardly projecting and upwardly inclined toe 4, the inner edge 5 of which serves to guide the edge of the upper fabric ply A to which the piping is secured. The guide member 6 for the lower fabric ply B, comprises a plate having a transverse guideshoulder 7 in alinement with the guide por tion 5 of the supporting foot 1, said shoulder merging into the raised base 8 of a bent arm 9 by which the guide-member for the lower fabric ply is secured to supporting foot 1. The bent arm 9 is formed at its end with a laterally projecting portion 10 bent downwardly at its sides to form lugs 11 and 12, lug 12 being partially cut away to receive toe 4 of the supporting foot 1. The arm 9 is secured upon the upper face of toe 4 by means of a screw 13, and the shoulders .11 and 12 of lugs 11 and 12 serve, in conmember in one direction, and shoulder 12 will prevent turning movement of said member in the opposite direction.

The piping-guide is formed of a single sheet metal strip 14 bent upon itself to form a folding wall 15 and then inturned to form the guide-wall 16 for one edge of the piping tape, the opposite edge of .said tape being guided by lugs 17 formed integral with the side edges of the metal strip and bent upwardly adjacent guide-wall 16, the upper face of each lug being slightly cut away at 17 to receive the curved outer portion of said guide-wall, so that said wall and the edge-engaging surface of each lug 17 are arranged substantially in alinement. The guide 14 is provided with an overhanging spring-arm 18 formed with a longitudinal slot 19 to receive fastening screw 13, said arm being adapted to slide between the upper face of toe 5 and the lower face of arm 9, being confined'against lateral movement by means of the depending lugs 11 and 12 carried by arm 9. The outer end of spring arm 18 is bent upwardly to form a fingerpiece 21), and a second finger-piece is provided by striking up the intermediate lip 21 of a U-shaped slot cut in said arm.

In the operation of the attachment, a lower fabric ply B is placed upon the plate of guide-member 6, its side edge meeting guide-shoulder 7, and its front end extending beneath the supporting foot 1. A piping tape C is then inserted in the pipingguide 14 so that one edge of the tape will engage guide-wall 1G and its opposite edge will engage guide-lugs 17, the tape being folded upon a line extending centrally and longitudinally thereof. An upper fabric ply A is then placed over the piping and beneath the supporting foot, its edge meeting guide-surface 5 of toe 4. Under the action of the sewing machine feedin mechanism the two plies of material and t e interposed piping are advanced during the formation of the seam s by which the piping is secured to the fabric plies. The effective width of the piping is determined by the distance from its folded edge to the seam s, and the piping-guide 14 may readily be adjusted according to the effective width of piping desired. To increase the effective width of the piping, the guide ismoved to the left to increase the distance between the folding-wall 15 and the needle hole in the supportng foot, a reverse movement being given to the guide to decrease the effective Width of piping.

By providing a piping-guide which is supported above the work-plate of the sewing machine, the attachment is adapted to readily produce imitation tucks, upon any portion of a body fabric, the seam which secures one folded strip to the body fabric 13, being covered by the folded edge of the succeeding strip, as shown in Fig. 6.

While the attachment is shown and described as formed of sheet metal, by suitable dies, it is evident that other means of construction may be employed, and that the form and arrangement of the parts may be varied within the scope of the invention.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is 1. In a piping attachment for sewing machines, a supporting foot, a piping guide comprising a strip of sheet metal bent upon itself to form a folding wall for a piping tape and then inturned to provide a guidewall for one edge of the tape, a stop carried by said guide for the opposite edge of the tape, and a supporting arm for said piping guide overhanging its tape engaging portion and adjustably supported upon said foot for movement transversely thereof.

2. In a piping attachment for sewing machines, a supporting foot, a piping-guide having a spring-arm adjustably supported upon said foot, a plate provided with a guide-shoulder disposed forwardly of said foot and with a supporting arm rigidly connected to said foot, and means carried by said supporting arm to embrace the said spring-arm whereby the latter is confined against turning movement.

3. In a piping attachment for sewing machines, a supporting foot provided with an upwardly inclined toe, a piping-guide provided with an overhanging spring-arm adjustably supported upon said toe, said guide being formed of a strip of sheet metal bent upon itself to form a folding-wall for a piping tape, and stops carried by said guide for the edges of said tape.

4. In a piping attachment for sewing inachines, a supporting foot provided with an upwardly inclined toe, a plate having a guide-shoulder disposed in alinement with one edge of said toe, a supporting arm for said plate, "a fastening screw securing said arm upon the toe, depending lugs carried by said arm and having shoulders abutting said toe, and a piping-guide provided with a spring-arm formed with a longitudinal slot HENRIETTE B. WOEHRLE.

Witnesses:

W. LEE HELMS, H. A. KoRNEMANN, Jr. 

